Running
by PhoenixRae
Summary: Two lost souls on the run from the very place that made their lives hell. Will The Center catch them? Unwanted feelings surfaced. Old feelings reopened. Will one be able to face the truth?
1. Hidden Emotions

**Disclaimer:** **_The Pretender_** isn't mine so don't sue me. I only have claim to all the other characters (not to mention the plot) that you don't recognize.

**PhoenixRae's Notes:** I actually wrote this fic back in 2000 and since I didn't know that ff.net existed back then, I just kept it saved in a diskette that I just only recently came across once again. I did some editing to it, but please bear in mind that this fic supposedly took place right around Season 4 of the series.

**Summary:** Two lost souls on the run from the very place that made their lives hell. Will The Center catch them? Unwanted feelings surfaced. Old feelings reopened. Will one be able to face the truth?

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**I. Hidden Emotions**

"_Please_, Miss Parker, you _have_ to help me." begged Ameleeiah, the girl abducted by The Centre and who was now in hiding. 

Miss Parker found out what Raines and The Center did and managed to spring her former high school friend's daughter out of that place before any damage could be done to her. 

"_Who_ are you running away from this time, Ame?" Miss Parker asked, annoyed at the girl, and at the same time, she _cares_ for her as well. She doesn't want any harm to come to the girl. 

"Who else but The Centre people." the girl answered without any qualms. 

"_What?!_" Miss Parker could not believe that after their talks, Raines and her father would _defy_ her. "Are you sure?" 

"Would I lie to you, Parker?" Ameleeiah asked mockingly. 

Miss Parker raised an eyebrow and said, "I guess not." her voice husky and her blue eyes big. 

"Look, I _wouldn't_ bother you _if_ this is not urgent, but I don't know _who else_ to turn to. My parents are both dead--or alive, I'm not sure. But whether they're dead or alive, I wouldn't know because when I was first taken from them by those sweepers, I heard some sounds from their bedroom and a gunshot." Ameleeiah shivered as she reminisce the scene that unfold _before_ Raines' men captured her. 

Parker looked at the girl and could not help herself but feel sorry for her. She knew what it was like to lose a parent—or _both_ parents in her case. Her father was still alive, but he _hardly_ sees her as his daughter; theirs was a relationship akin to business—no more, no less. It was only _her mother_ who treated her with such love and care that she couldn't believe she was borne from the man who runs The Centre. 

Reaching out, she pulled the girl in her arms and soothed her until she was all cried out. 

"_Broots!_" 

Broots and Sydney jumped at the angry voice of the woman who made men's knees buckle just by the mere sight of her. Not to mention those piercing blue eyes of hers could cut any men in two. 

"Yes, Miss Parker?" Broots asked, afraid that he did something wrong again to make this woman get so mad. 

" 'Morning, Miss Parker." Sydney greeted. 

Miss Parker merely acknowledged the old man before turning her attention to Broots, the techie expert in their trio. Stopping by the side of his computer desk, the man was forced to look up at the woman responsible to make his heart skip every time he was around her. _Even_ if she was this cold and mean, Broots still liked her. He believes that somewhere inside her heart lies the same little Miss Parker Jarod kept on reminding her off. And he was _willing_ to find out if that same little girl _still_ resides in this Ice Queen's heart. 

"Broots..." 

"Y-yes, Miss Parker?" 

"Broots, I want you to find out _who_ is Raines' latest target this time. I want to know _everything_ and _everyone _that bastard is after." 

Sydney heard the urgency and _anger_ in the young woman's voice. He couldn't stop himself from voicing out his concern. 

"Is there something wrong, Miss Parker?" 

Miss Parker turned to face the man with an almost grey hair. She raised an eyebrow before saying, "When Raines is concerned, _something_ is always wrong." 

Sydney himself, raised an eyebrow. "Something _very_ particular is concerning _you_, Miss Parker." he cajoled, looking the woman straight in the eye, "You know you can rely on me if ever there's _something_ bothering you." he offered. 

Miss Parker merely smirked at the old man, but she kept Sydney's offer in mind. She knew that one day soon she will need_ his_ shoulder to cry on, but for now her concern was Ameleeiah, _and_ Jarod. 

Damn that man! He _always_ escapes from her! 

"Oh-_oof!_" Ameleeiah was thrown off balance when she collided with the hardest male chest she had ever encountered. Thank goodness the person she collided with grabbed her arms before she fell flat on her behind on the hard, _and_ cold, pavement sidewalk. 

"A-are you okay?" a wide-eyed man looking like in his mid-thirties looked down at the girl he just collided with, concern was mirroring in his dark brown eyes. 

After gathering her composure, Ameleeiah looked up at the man looking down at her, her gaze locking with his eyes. His warm, chocolate brown eyes that showed every emotion he was feeling. Ameleeiah thought she had just died and gone to heaven having encountered such drop-dead-gorgeously looking creature. She felt her knees caving in beneath her and he must've sensed that she wasn't still stable and hung on to her arms for support. 

_Oh, my knight in shining armour_, she thought demurely. 

"Are you okay, Miss?" the handsome stranger asked again. 

Ameleeiah was jolted back into reality when the urgency in the man's voice reached her brain. 

"Miss?" Jarod asked, worried that he hurt the girl very badly. He swore he didn't see her when he rounded the corner. She just came out of nowhere. 

The moment a pair of smouldering hazel eyes looked up at him and in to his eyes, Jarod knew he'd have a hard time if he _ever_ gets involved with whatever was troubling this young woman. And yet...and yet she somehow _looked_ familiar to him. He felt as if he knew her, he just couldn't remember where or when she'd seen her before. 

"I'm alright. Thanks for your concern." Ameleeiah replied, avoiding his gaze and doing her best to stand on her own two feet without them going all Jell-O on her. She noticed something crossed his gaze the moment he looked at her. Somehow she felt like he _recognized_ her, and that was something Ameleeiah _doesn't_ want. If what she saw in his eyes was indeed recognition, then she was in big trouble. 

_Sweeper!_ That was the first thought that crossed her mind. The one person she was avoiding happened to be the person she ran in to. _OK, Lee, keep it cool. Act naturally and keep your fingers crossed that he didn't recognize you._ She cajoled herself and slowly pulled away from his tight grip on her arms. 

"I—I can get up on my own." she said when the stranger didn't move. 

"Are you sure?" Jarod asked, wanting some time with the girl still so that he would be able to _remember_ where he have seen her. 

"Yes. _Yes_, I'm fine, mister." Ameleeiah replied, still avoiding his eyes. 

"Alright." Jarod answered then slowly let the young woman go albeit reluctantly of course. She looked so damn familiar to him and yet he couldn't put his finger to where and when he had seen her before. _Hell, that's going to bug me for a very long time,_ he thought irately. 

Jarod wasn't the only one having a hard time putting a time and place to the face before him. Ameleeiah felt a pang of recognition when she finally had a good look at her saviour. Sure he was this handsome young man in his mid-thirties who managed to make her heart do some flip-flops, but at the same time he also struck a certain nerve inside her. She tried to hard to wrack her brains, trying to remember _when_ and _where_ she've seen him. Her first instinct told her he was someone from The Center, and maybe she was right. She thought he was one of the numerous sweepers that blasted corporation had, but… 

_Him!_ her mind shrieked when she finally remembered _where_ she first saw him and why she had this familiar feeling that they've met before. He was the man at The Centre doing something that concerns _a lot_ of very fancy gadgets when she was first brought there _years_ ago—_four years ago_ to be exact. 

Jarod saw the girl's face change. She recognized him too, but how? He wanted to ask her some questions, but before he could do as much as open his mouth, he noticed her eyes widening at catching a sight of something—or some_one_ rather—over his shoulder and hastily made a mad dash away from him. 

"Ame?" Miss Parker called shortly after she returned home at the end of the day. "Ameleeiah?" she called again, but Ameleeiah wasn't answering her back. 

"Miss Parker." 

Miss Parker jumped at the sound of the voice. She turns around slowly, _glaring_ at the man who startled her. 

"_Syd..._" she hissed, closing her eyes to calm herself down. She has been expecting the _worse_ when she came home and finding Ameleeiah gone. "What do you want?" she asked irately. 

Sydney stepped out from the shadows and crossed the room to stand face to face with the headstrong young woman. 

"Ameleeiah Johnston, _or_ should I say _Lee Johnson?_" 

Miss Parker couldn't understand _what_ Sydney was trying to get at. Shaking her head, she frowned at the older man. 

"What are you talking about, Syd?" She feigned innocence, however something akin to alarm was nagging at the back of her head the moment Sydney mentioned Ameleeiah's alias while in hiding from The Center. 

Sydney raised an eyebrow. "_She_ is Raines' _latest_ conquest. They are bringing back the Pretender program." 

_I knew it,_ Miss Parker thought bitterly, her fists balling tightly at her sides. She already guessed who Raines was after, but she wasn't sure as to _what_ that old crone was up to until now. 

Miss Parker found out shortly after she rescued Ameleeiah from Raines' hands that the girl has a gift, a gift that was just like the one Jarod has. No wonder Raines wanted her so badly. He needed another guinea pig to run his damn tests on. 

"_I_ have to put a _stop_ to it, Syd." Miss Parker's eyes suddenly turned ice cold, her glare piercing right through Sydney's head. "Raines _mustn't_ get that damn project off the ground." 

"Miss Parker, I _know_ why you are after Raines. Ameleeiah is the girl _you_ rescued before she became another Jarod. But you and I know that we can't put a stop to Raines' madness just like that," he snapped his fingers together, his eyes still locked with the young woman. "You gave Ameleeiah an alias and to let her live a normal life, but you can't be doing that forever." 

"But Ameleeiah _is_ a Jarod already, Syd. Even _without_ The Centre's help, _she_ is a born genius." Miss Parker explained. "Raines knew this when he first abducted her. Her IQ was remarkable and her ability to do whatever she wanted to do and become whomever she wanted to be was extraordinarily akin to Jarod's." 

"How did you know about this?" Sydney was surprised at how well Miss Parker was aware of the young woman's abilities. 

"_Because_ I looked after her after I took her away from that damn place!" 

"And you felt _responsible_ for her, is that it?" His tone alarmed Miss Parker that his prior news wasn't the only thing he came here to see her for. 

Miss Parker squinted her eyes and looked at Sydney. "Is there _something_ else you want to let me know, Syd?" 

Sydney took a few minutes first before opening his mouth. _How_ can he tell her the other thing Broots found out concerning Ameleeiah Johnstson? 

Ameleeiah looked around her. This place Jarod was taking her was very filthy—and scary. She was surprised when Jarod followed her after she fled from him. Seeing those men in dark suits sporting dark sunglasses caused her adrenaline to go on overdrive. She fled before she was spotted. She nearly had a heart attack when she stopped at a corner shop café and felt a hand land on her shoulder. 

She gave an alarmed shriek and spun around, ready to kick some serious ass when she noticed that the man she collided with moment before had followed her. He introduced himself to her as soon as he reassured her that he was safe. Ameleeiah reassured him that he wasn't the one she was running away from and explained that The Center sweepers were out looking for her. That irked Jarod's curiosity and started asking more about her. 

Ameleeiah explained the circumstance of their first meeting. They met briefly during Ameleeiah's short stay at The Centre a few years back, _months_ before Jarod escaped from the place. It was weird to find someone coming from _that place_, as Ameleeiah loved to call that hellhole. 

"Here we are." Jarod finally announced. 

Ameleeiah stopped right in the middle of a very shoddy room where a bed, kitchen, dining room, _and_ living room are all clumped together in one place. 

"_This_ is where _you_ live?" Ameleeiah couldn't stop herself from sounding so bitchy, but she just couldn't believe that this man, _this man_, who was as smart as her could _tolerate_ living in a dump like this! 

"This is no Beverly Hills mansion, but at least there's electricity and running water." Jarod replied, annoyed at her attitude. "Haven't you lived in a place like this before?" he asked after a while. 

Ameleeiah looked at him, "Never." was her quick reply. 

No. Since she was a little girl _until_ Miss Parker rescued her, she has never been to _any_ of these places. Never _lived_ in any of these places, as a matter of fact. She was used to living a life of luxury, the one her parents, and then Miss Parker, gave her. 

Jarod raised an eyebrow, "Oh really?" 

Ameleeiah caught the sarcasm in his voice. She turned to him and glared. "Yes, _really._" She nodded, reassuring him that she wasn't bluffing. 

"And why is that?" 

"_Because_ I was raised in a home _not_ like this dingy place you call home!" 

"_This_ place may be dingy, but at least I _can_ hide from The Centre sweepers." 

At the mention of the place they both don't want to hear about, Ameleeiah started to understand _why_ he chose to hide in this place than somewhere that would draw attention to him. 

"I'm sorry for acting so bitchy and snotty. I'm just…well, seeing those guys in suits earlier kinda unravelled my nerves, ya know?" She crossed the tiny room and sat on the edge of the bed. Burying her face in her hands, she took a deep breath and mentally counted one to ten to calm herself down. 

"Lee?" Jarod looks at her, studying her shaking form. "Lee, are you—are you alright?" He crossed the room and sat beside her. 

Ameleeiah took a couple more deep breaths, finally getting her nerves to calm down before lifting her head from her hands. She looked beside her and gave Jarod a reassuring smile. 

"I'm okay now. I'm just…worried. For a moment there I thought my life would be over. I just…I just want to get away—as far away as possible—from this place and The Center." 

"I know what you mean, Lee, I know," Jarod smiled slowly, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulled her beside him. "I've been doing that for the past four years now." 

"Ame is _what?!_" 

Sydney watched as the woman who was as cool as ice lost her composure. He shouldn't have dropped the bomb like that. He should've been more tactful, but he knew Miss Parker _needed_ to know that _very important_ fact about the girl she took under her care four years ago. 

Ameleeiah Johnson wasn't only a _very special_ girl—_she_ was also Miss Parker's half-sister! 

"Yes, Parker. Your father sired her while having an ongoing _affair_ with another woman long before your mother's death. He didn't know about the child his lover bore, _nor_ if the baby was stillborn or alive." 

Miss Parker stared at Sydney for the longest time. This can't be true. _This_ wasn't happening to her! Ameleeiah was her _half-sister_? 

"But how could she—" 

"Her mother was once a Pretender, Parker." Sydney answered before she could finish her question. 

"A what?" 

"She was one of the first batches of _pretenders_ The Centre had. The woman was in her early twenties when she started having an affair with your father." 

Miss Parker's jaw fell. Her father had an _affair_ with a woman _younger_ than him? 

"W-what happened to the woman?" Miss Parker was even _afraid_ to ask. 

The look Sydney gave her spoke volumes. 

"Oh...my...God..." She fell on the couch beside her, her blue eyes wide from disbelieve, her colour disappearing. 

"OK, so what's the deal with _you_?" Lee asked Jarod shortly after they shared a lunch the next day. 

"They want me back to do some more sims they could use." 

"Some more what?" 

Jarod looks at her with a raised brow. "You _don't know_ what a sim is?" 

Lee raised an eyebrow herself. "If I knew, _then_ I wouldn't be asking you now, would I?" Was her smart-aleck reply. 

Jarod didn't miss the sarcasm in her voice. He couldn't help but grin at the attitude of the young woman. She still reminded him of someone he knew though, but he still couldn't figure out exactly _who_ it was that she reminded him of. 

"How _long_ did The Centre keep you anyway?" he asked. 

Lee merely shrugged, "Not too long. Miss Parker bailed me out as soon as possible," she explained. "And you still didn't answer my previous question." She reminded him. 

Jarod forgot all about her question. His ears perked the mention of the lioness who often led the search to capture him. "_Miss Parker?_" he echoed. 

"You're changing the subject again, Jarod." 

Jarod ignored her and asked, "_How_ did you know Miss Parker?" 

"I am _not_ going to answer that until you tell me what sims are," she insisted, crossing her arms firmly over her chest. 

Jarod made a face at the stubborn young woman. He wouldn't find out any answer from her until she got some answers of her own. He briefly explained to her what sims are then asked again how she got to know Miss Parker. 

"She's that nice, _sweet_ lady who rescued me from the clutches of that _awful_ man and her father. I knew her from _before_ those sweepers took me. She and my mother went to school together." she smiled. 

This tiny bit of information caught Jarod's attention. Miss Parker soft on this girl? 

"How old are you again, Lee?" 

"I'll be 22 in a couple of months. Why?" 

"Well...for a 21 year old, you're already successful." 

"That's because I graduated from college at the age of 18." she informed him. 

"18?" Jarod echoed 

"Yep." Lee nodded. 

"Wow...you must...you _must be_ a genius to be able to graduate from college at the age of 18." Jarod sure was impressed with her. "What did you take in college?" 

"Medicine. Actually, I was suppose to be an MD, but then I decided to take Psychology because it's _more fun_ and _challenging_ at the same time because it helps me _be_ the person I am analyzing. My instructors were _impressed_ with me _because_ I can actually _act out_ the person whose life I am analyzing!" She exclaimed unaware that Jarod was now _staring_ at her very intently. 

"Lee, did—did you just say that you _can be_ the person you're analyzing? I mean you can be in _their_ shoes?" 

Lee frowned. "Yeah. Is there something wrong with that?" 

Jarod didn't answer. _Now_ he knew _why_ The Centre wanted this young woman. 

"Find out anything, Syd?" 

Sydney and Broots looked up at the woman who entered Sydney's office. Sydney was grinning; Broots was worried. He just found out _another_ clue to the identity of Miss Parker's ward's life, and he _didn't_ dare tell Sydney about it. 

"Nothing so far." Sydney answered. 

"Broots?" 

Broots tensed. 

"Uh..." 

"Well?" the woman demanded. 

"Uh...I think you won't like this one I found, Miss Parker." 

Miss Parker raised one neatly plucked eyebrow. "Oh _really?_ Look, I am _not_ liking _anything_ so far, so what _one more_ bad news could make, hm?" 

"Uh...okay..." Broots nodded, darting a worried glance at the other man in the room with them. 

"Well, _this_ is getting _really_ exciting, now spill it, Broots, before I rip your spine out!" 

Broots jumped from his seat as the woman's patience burst. "Uh...well...um..." he cleared his throat, "You see, Ameleeiah became a guinea pig to some tests many years ago, and these tests were done by none other than Mr. Raines himself. It seems like Raines heard of the child, Mr. Parker's bastard, and _wanted_ to take the child under _his_ wing since your father didn't know about the pregnancy." 

"But she was _adopted_ by the Johnstons!" 

"Ameleeiah was adopted _after_ Raines thought that the experiment failed." 

"Failed?" Miss Parker echoed angrily, "What do you mean? Just a little over _four years ago_, Raines abducted her once again!" 

"Yes. _Yes_, he did, but that's because he soon found out that Ameleeiah became a super-genius!" Broots exclaimed. 

"What?" Miss Parker asked, almost breathlessly. 

Broots nodded. 

"Yes, Miss Parker. You see, Ameleeiah _already_ inherited her mother's ability, to _become_ a pretender, but since she only has _half_ of that ability to become one like _Jarod_, Raines devised something to make her even _more_ knowledgeable than any pretender The Centre ever had." 

Jarod watched the sleeping form of the girl he remembered seeing that day, just _months_ before he escaped The Centre. She was being dragged by Raise' sweepers. 

_"Sydney, why is that girl being dragged like that?" Jarod asked his mentor when he was disrupted from doing yet another one of the numerous sims The Center had in store for him. _

_ Sydney turned to the focus of Jarod's attention at the moment. He frowned then looked down at his ward. "She must have done something wrong and is going to be punished." he explained simply. _

_ Jarod raised an eyebrow, "She doesn't look like she has been here for a long time." he observed. _

Jarod remembered Sydney sighing. For some reason, he knew that Sydney agreed with what he just said. Lee was being dragged _against_ her will. For whatever reason, Jarod doesn't know. 

Glancing at the sleeping girl occupying his small bunk bed, Jarod sighed and made himself comfortable in the sleeping bag he placed on the other side of the room. Lee never really talked to him about her brief stay at The Center, she only mentioned that it was dreadful and she didn't want to go back there ever again. 

_Ameleeiah's biological mother was murdered. Her adopted parents were brutally injured. The father died because of a concussion; the mother lived, but is a quadriplegic._

_Oh Anna,_ Miss Parker thought miserably. She remembered her former high school friend confined to a wheelchair after what happened. Miss Parker made sure that she was well taken care off at a very expensive care center and visited her as often as possible to give her updates on her adopted daughter's whereabouts. 

Miss Parker read the report Broots gave her earlier. Up until this moment, she was still _trying_ to get it into her system that she has a _half_ sister. She only found out that she _has_ a twin brother and now this? Just how many more skeletons in the closet does her screwed-up family have? 

The sudden ringing of her phone beside her startled her. Angrily, she picked it up. 

"What?" She demanded. 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Miss Parker." a familiar male voice cajoled her. 

Miss Parker rolled her eyes heavenward before closing them. Taking one deep breath, she asked, "What do you want, Jarod?" 

"Actually, I don't want _anything_ this time, Miss Parker. _But_, I think I have something—or some_one_—you want." 

This caught Miss Parker's attention. 

"Ame? _You_ have Ame?" 

Jarod chuckled on the other end of the line, _annoying_ her. 

"Now, now, don't go calling the swat team _or_ your ever _reliable_ sweepersm" he warned, "_Lee_ is currently safe and sound—_with_ me." 

"_What_ is she doing with _you_?" And _how_ in the world did their worlds collide and ended up with each other? 

Jarod chuckled again before answering, "Like me, _she_ is also _hiding_ from The Centre." And without further warning he disconnected the line. 

"Jarod? _Jarod?!_" Miss Parker kept on calling his name, but the line was already dead. "Damn the bastard!" She hissed before disconnecting herself. But at least she knew Ameleeiah was safe. She was with Jarod and Miss Parker knew no matter how much Jarod hated The Center, he wouldn't turn his back on yet another lost soul whose life had been ripped away by the very place she worked for—and loathed. 

Jarod was grinning shortly after he disconnected the line while talking to Miss Parker. Tucking his cell phone in the breast pocket of his shirt, he looked at the still sleeping girl on the bed. Walking towards her, he stood on the side of the bed and just watched her. 

He started memorizing every bit of her face. He doesn't know _why_ he was doing that, but he just did. Somehow he has this gut feeling that this meeting of hers with Lee Johnson won't last... 

Sydney's office phone started ringing. Glancing at his wristwatch, Sydney frowned. _Who_ would be calling him at this ungodly hour of the morning? 

He picked up the phone and curtly answered, "Sydney." 

"Syd." 

Sydney quickly recognized the drawl of that male voice. A smile crossed his face. 

"Jarod...it's so nice to hear from you." 

"Same here." 

"So, to _what_ do I expect this phone call for?" 

"I have _her_, Syd." 

Sydney frowned, unsure what his former ward was talking about. "You have _who_, Jarod?" 

Jarod snorted. "The _girl_. Remember, the one the sweepers were taking to Raines' office _months_ before I escaped from The Centre?" 

_Ameleeiah Johnston._ "How did you two meet?" 

"By chance, actually. Almost didn't recognize the girl." 

"Oh? And where is she now?" 

"She's safe—with me." 

Sydney smiled. "That's nice to hear." 

"Yeah, that's nice," Jarod agreed. "But Syd, I think I'd be _needing_ your help. The Centre wants Lee, and I have _already_ learned things about her to figure out _why_ Raines wants her back." 

"What kind of help, Jarod?" 

"Find out _why_ she was abducted before—four years ago." 

"Jarod—" He was about to protest, but Jarod didn't give him the chance. 

"Syd, _please_. The girl is scared to death. I want to know _why_ Raines wants her. I'll call you." He didn't wait for a reply he just hung up 

Ameleeiah woke up with a start. She reoriented herself with her surroundings. Something was _awfully_ wrong. Where was Jarod? _Why_ was she alone? 

"Jarod?" She called out, getting out of the bed. "Jarod, are you here?" She crossed the makeshift bedroom and stepped outside to where the small dingy place holds the kitchen, dining room, and living room. 

"Jarod?" She looked around the small place. No sign of Jarod anywhere. She was beginning to worry. What if, while she was asleep, The Centre abducted Jarod? What would she do now? 

"Jarod?" She called out again, and this time _waited_ a little while longer for a reply, but none came. 

Ameleeiah waited for Jarod until mid-morning. Shortly after 10:30, she started fixing the small place while still waiting for Jarod to come back. If by 12 noon he still hasn't come back, no matter what she promised him, she will go out and _look_ for him! 

She was keeping a close eye on her watch; only half an hour to go before she sets out and _looks_ for him. At exactly five to 12, Ameleeiah was ready to leave this dingy place and _search_ for Jarod. Just as she was about to step out of the door, she collided with something once more. After recovering her balance, Ameleeiah slowly raked her gaze upward and stared right into a pair of warm, chocolate brown eyes. 

"_You!_" She said with a catch in her voice, "Jarod, we have to _stop_ meeting like this!" She hissed, getting her composure back. 

Jarod grinned cheekily. "I'm sorry," he apologized, stepping inside. "I wasn't expecting you storming out of here." 

Ameleeiah's eyebrow rose. "Well, I _wouldn't have_, but I woke up this morning _without_ any sight of you!" 

"And you were worried?" 

"No...yes...whatever!" She raised her arms in frustration before turning her back to him. 

Jarod caught her arm before she could walk away for him, "_Why_ were you heading out?" 

"Let go of me, Jarod." 

"Not until you answer my question." 

"There is _nothing_ for me to explain. I was worried that you left or were abducted by The Centre people _which_ doesn't sits well with me because..._why_ am I even explaining this to you? I am here, am I not? So quit fussing about it! You were back safe and sound." She wriggled her arm from his grip then and succeeded. 

"You are here _because_ I got back _before_ you left. Did you even think about _what_ could have happened if I hadn't come back as soon as I did? You would have left _this_ place and only God knows _what_ could happen to you!" 

Ameleeiah heard the alarm in his voice. She didn't mean to alarm him, but damn _him_ for making her worry like that! 

"I was about to leave in search of you _because_ you left me without a note. You left me with _nothing_ to let me know where you were! That's why I decided to search for you on my own because if...because if something—_something_ happens to you, I don't...I wouldn't...just be happy that I'm here, OK?" God, why was she feeling this way? Sure she woke up alone and was alarmed that Jarod wasn't around fussing about this or that. But he was back now and why were they even having this argument? She promised him she wouldn't leave this place unless she was with him. She _nearly_ broke that promise because of him. 

Jarod staggered backwards after her explanation. Does this mean that she cares? No, she was just _worried_. She couldn't possibly care for him _enough_ to worry about that, and yet... 

He remembered seeing her being dragged towards Raines' office a few years back. Their eyes held for the longest time, until she was out of sight from him. He remembered the pleading in those pair of hazel eyes looking at him, _asking_ him for help. He noticed disappointment, too, after she was reeled away and into Raise' office because he didn't help her. 

Ameleeiah slowly walked away from Jarod, controlling all her emotions inside. Dammit, she _can't_ be experiencing these feelings for Jarod. Not right now! 

"_Broots!_" Miss Parker called angrily. 

Broots jumped from his seat, pouring hot coffee on his lap. "Dammit," he hissed, glaring at the coffee spilled on his lap. 

"Broots," Miss Parker stood beside him, arms crossed and eyebrow raised. She was _not_ in a good mood. "Have you found Jarod's latest lair?" 

"Uh...n-no, Miss Parker." 

"No? What do you mean no? You have been working on it day-in, day-out and _still_ you've come up with nothing? Dammit, Broots!" 

Broots was running out of excuses to give his boss, thank God Sydney showed-up when he did or else he'd be hanged. With the way Miss Parker was looking _and_ acting right now, she can kill _anybody_ who crossed her way! 

"Miss Parker." Sydney said, wanting to catch the woman's attention, which he did. 

Without turning to look at her, she snapped an angry, "What?" at him. 

"Jarod spoke to you last night." It wasn't a question but a statement. 

Miss Parker turned to look at the man after this statement. 

"Boy Wonder spoke to you as well?" 

Sydney crossed his arms over his chest as well, looking at the woman straight in the eye. "_He_ has _her_, Parker." 

Miss Parker raised an eyebrow, "So the bastard told you." 

"He wants _my_ help, Parker." 

The woman raised an eyebrow at him this time, "And _why_ are you telling me this _if_ Boy Wonder asked for _your_ help?" 

"Because _I_ wouldn't be able to help Jarod without _your_ help, Parker." Sydney crossed the small space between them, "_You_ know the girl _more_ than anyone else around here. If _I'm_ the one who knows Jarod well, then _you_ are the one who knows Ameleeiah more than anyone else. We don't know _where_ Jarod will be taking Ameleeiah or _what_ he has planned with her. All I know is that Jarod will _keep_ Ameleeiah with him until he is sure that she is _clear_ off everything that concerns _this place_." 

Miss Parker only looked at the man straight in the eye. Sydney was not joking. Jarod _will_ keep Ame under his care _until_ he finds out a way on _how_ to rescue the girl. But Jarod and Ameleeiah together? God, she was fearing the worse! She remembered Ame _confiding_ in her about the _man_ she saw inside The Centre while she was being dragged into Raise' room. 

She said _Jarod_ was handsome! Miss Parker remembered her young charge having a big crush on him. She doesn't know if Ameleeiah still felt slightly attracted to Jarod, but God only knows what goes on in that girl's mind! 

"Jarod, if you don't mind me asking, _why_ are we heading north?" 

Jarod looked at his young companion, "Because _nobody_ would look for us there. Once we're established in Canada, we can start thinking of a plan to _foil_ The Centre people," he explained 

"What if they track us there?" she asked worriedly. 

"We'll have to chance it. But for now, our main concern is to _escape_ from those people and hide somewhere in Canada." 

Lee wasn't happy with his reply, but she'll just have to settle with it—for now. She knew that she would be safe with Jarod, even though the two of them could easily fall into an argument; but he was the closest to sanctuary that she had right now. She'd take her chances with him than by herself. He had been dodging The Center for years now; he must've learned a couple or so tricks while he was out and hiding. 

Jarod and Ameeliah headed up north to Canada in a black sports utility vehicle. Neither spoke, but both were weary about this new quest of theirs. Whatever lies for them in Canada, they must be _willing_ to face it, if they don't want to be captured by The Centre. 

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

**to be continued...**

**A/N:** So, what do you think of the first chapter so far? Feedbacks are appreciated.


	2. Happily Settled

**Disclaimer:** **_The Pretender_** isn't mine so don't sue me. I only have claim to all the other characters (not to mention the plot) that you don't recognize.

**PhoenixRae's Notes:** I actually wrote this fic back in 2000 and since I didn't know that ff.net existed back then, I just kept it saved in a diskette that I just only recently came across once again. I did some editing to it, but please bear in mind that this fic supposedly took place right around Season 4 of the series. This wasn't a finished fic when I wrote it back in 2000, but I'll try my best to finish it this time around.

**Summary:** Two lost souls on the run from the very place that made their lives hell. Will The Center catch them? Unwanted feelings surfaced. Old feelings reopened. Will one be able to face the truth?

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

**II. Happily Settled**

It has been close to six months now since Lee and Jarod left the States. They settled in a little town south of Toronto shortly after they crossed the border. They stayed in Ontario for a good five days before starting to head west to Alberta. 

While travelling, the two of them decided to pose as a _still_ newlywed couple searching for a new life elsewhere. At first Lee opposed to the idea, but after extensive thinking, she figured that Jarod was right; they can't travel well across the border without establishing a means for either of them being propositioned by anyone. 

All the marriage necessities were obtained _and_ processed by Jarod before they left the States. Doctoring the documents was easy for Jarod. He put it down in the paper that the two of them have been happily married for a year and a half, and that they were married in Delaware. They settled under the married name of Jarod and Leeiah Feys. 

Mr. and Mrs. Feys are now living in a small community in Sherwood Park, a suburb in Alberta. They own a two-storey townhouse and a few necessary household utilities. The house was located in the most remote location of the community where no more than 1,000 occupants lived. Jarod and Lee settled for this type of living conditions since neither one of them wanted to attract attention by buying a big house in Edmonton, the capital city of Alberta. 

Their neighbours are all friendly and willing to lend a helping hand to one another. Lee made sure that she kept a harmonious relationship with their neighbours because, like what she told Jarod, they wouldn't know _when_ the two of them would need their help. 

Upon hearing the news that a certain _Jarod Feys_ won a case in Alberta, Miss Parker and his crew started heading east from British Columbia. They heard a lead from some of their people in Vancouver that they spotted Jarod and a woman visiting the area a few months back. Miss Parker, Sydney, and Broots didn't waste much time; the three of them quickly headed up north to BC. Miss Parker also read in a newspaper article that his _wife_, Leeiah Feys, was being honoured as an outstanding doctor after saving the lives of many who were thought to have been a lost cause. 

"Mr. and Mrs. Feys?" Miss Parker questioned out loud. She looked at Sydney and asked, "_Mr. and Mrs. Feys?_ Syd, do you believe this crap?" 

Sydney, who was still reeling from the news, replied, "It _could_ happen, Parker." 

"What? The two _hardly_ know each other!" 

"It doesn't matter, Miss Parker, " Broots cut in. "Many people today gets married after knowing each other for less than 24 hours sometimes!" 

Miss Parker made a face at Broots. "That's an exaggeration." 

"N-no, Miss Parker." Broots said sheepishly, "Because...because _I_ did it, " he admitted sheepishly. 

Miss Parker's blue eyes widened as she stared at her trusty lackey. _This_ was unbelievable and something new to her ears. 

"You and Debbie's mom?" Sydney was the one to ask that question. 

"Yes." Broots lowered his head in embarrassment. 

"No wonder your marriage fell apart." Miss Parker mocked before turning her attention of the private plane's window. 

"Hey, congratulations!" Lee greeted Jarod later in the evening after he got home from court. "Another case won. You are such a _good_ lawyer, don't you wanna stick with that?" She asked after leading her _pretend_ husband into the dining room. 

"I don't know, Lee. Maybe I will." He replied, taking a seat at the end of the table. 

Lee did her 'wifely' duties by sitting down beside him. Jarod frowned at her when she planted a kiss on his cheek before sitting. She never really do any of these things she was doing now. She greeted him when he got home. She clung on to his arm all the way to the dining room..._what_ was going on? 

"Lee?" Jarod didn't elaborate what he had to ask because Lee understood what he wanted to know. 

"The curtain's drawn." She explained, "And _some_ of our neighbours would be watching because they think that we are not really happily married." 

Not happily married? What was she talking about? They are now both safe—_and away_—from The Centre, so they _must be_ happy. They changed their status so _nobody_ from The Centre would suspect that it was them—Jarod and Ameleeiah—living in Alberta, Canada. 

"But we _are_ happily married." Jarod insisted with enough conviction that made worried Lee a bit. 

She made a face at him. "Jarod, this is only a _pretend_ marriage. We are not _really_ married," she reminded him. Somehow it often slipped Jarod's mind that they weren't _legally_ married. Sure the past six months had been bliss for the two of them, and she was glad she ran into him. She would have had a bad time hiding from The Center—with or with_out_ Miss Parker's help. 

"Even so. We've been living together for almost seven months now as husband and wife. Surely I can—" 

"Look, Jarod. This _farce_ of a marriage of ours will end soon enough. After The Centre cools off our trail, we'll part ways—_as planned._" 

Jarod wanted to say more, but she stopped him. No, oh no. He was _not_ going to insist that they stay _married_ even after The Centre cools off their trail. She can't do it; no, not when she was having these mixed feelings for him. They have been together for seven months now, and each day that passed by, her feelings for him changed too. She'd rather leave this farce of a marriage unscathed—and with her heart still fully intact. 

"Broots, are you sure _this_ is the place?" Sydney asked for the second time since the black Town Car stopped in front of the small bungalow house. 

"I'm positive, Syd." Broots replied. "Look here, see?" He showed him the address he pulled up, _confirming_ that a Mr. and Mrs. Feys lives in this house in front of them. 

Miss Parker snatched the paper from Broots and read it. "OK boys, it's show time." She announced before thrusting the paper back at Broots. 

Walking ahead of the two men, Miss Parker kept a close-eye on the front door. This better be _where_ Jarod and Ame lives. She will _make sure_ that she captures Jarod and return him to The Centre. As for Ame...she will make sure that she goes back home—with her—safe and sound. 

Miss Parker rang the doorbell and waited. It took her three rings before the door opened. 

"Hello." an elderly woman, probably in her mid-sixties, answered the door. 

Miss Parker's eyes widen. She quickly hid her gun behind her and smiled her sweetest smile to the woman. 

"Hi. Is this...is _this_ the Feys residence?" 

The woman smiled. "Yes. Yes this is. _I'm_ Mrs. Feys." 

Miss Parker raised one equivocal eyebrow. "Mrs. _Leeiah_ Feys?" She asked for confirmation. 

"Yes, dear. My name is Lea Feys. And who might you be, dearie?" 

Miss Parker's eyes widen some more. This was not happening. This was wrong! Something was _terribly_ wrong here. 

"Oh...I'm...I'm just looking for a—my _sister_. She got married and _had_ the same first _and_ last name as yours. And...she must've given me the _wrong_ address as well." Miss Parker nearly stepped over her tongue thinking up a plausible explanation off the top of her head. _Damn you Broots,_ she mentally cursed her assistant. 

"Oh," the woman smiled, "I know what you mean, dear. There are _many_ people here who mistook me as for being _Dr._ Leeiah Feys when in truth, I am _not_ her." 

"Oh." Miss Parker feigned an understanding smile. 

"Uh, Mrs. Feys?" Sydney cuts in. 

The older woman smiled at him. "Hello there." 

"Hello. Um...have you seen this other Mrs. Leeiah Feys?" 

"Why yes, of course I've seen Mr. and Mrs. Feys. In fact, my husband and _her_ husband established a law firm together called Feys & Feys Law Firm. Their office is in downtown Edmonton, but the other Mr. and Mrs. Feys lives in Sherwood Park." She informed her visitors. 

"Sherwood Park?" Miss Parker echoed. 

"Yes. It's just a few minutes drive if you take the freeway heading east from here." 

"Oh...thank you very much, Mrs. Feys," smiled Sydney and clamped his hand on Miss Parker's elbow. 

"Oh please, call me Lea." 

Sydney smiled back. "Okay then, _Lea_." 

The woman bid the trio goodbye, adding, "I hope you find her in time. I hear that the couple will spend a few weeks off from the province and will either head west or east." 

Miss Parker nodded back and rounded the car to sit on the driver's side while Sydney occupied the passenger's side and Broots was stuck at the back. 

"Where now, Syd?" Miss Parker asked, _annoyed_ that they were foiled. 

Sydney looked at her then answered, "Sherwood Park, where else?" 

Miss Parker made a face then started the car. Looking over her shoulder, she glared at Broots, "Find out _where_ in Sherwood Park Jarod and Ameleeiah lives and this time, Broots, _don't_ fail me." 

Broots gulped and meekly nodded. He flipped his trusty laptop computer open and started his search. 

"How was your day?" Jarod asked later that evening. 

"Tiring." Lee set down her bag on one of the sofas then continued into the kitchen, surprised to find Jarod _actually_ making dinner. "You cooked?" She asked, stepping right beside him. 

Jarod wasn't expecting her to step that close. During the last few months that they were together, Jarod started feeling things he knew he _shouldn't_ feel towards Lee. 

"Of course I cook." Jarod replied, trying to sound unaffected by her nearness. 

"Cool." Lee grinned, stepping away from him. "So, _what else_ did you do today, considering that it's your day off from the firm?" 

"Oh...I cleaned the house." 

Lee raised an eyebrow. Turning to face him, she said, "You _cleaned_ the house? But it's already clean!" 

Jarod raised an eyebrow at her, "Well, I have _nothing_ to do, besides, I think it's _best_ if we leave the place clean _before_ we leave tomorrow." 

"Tomorrow?" Lee echoed, "Jarod, we _can't_ leave right away. I mean, _I_ have some operations scheduled until the day after!" 

"So? _We_ can work it out." Jarod said. 

Lee raised an eyebrow once more, "_You?_ Jarod, the _whole town_ knows that you are a _professional_ lawyer!" 

"So? Look, we can just say that I majored in _medicine_ before I decided to pursue a career in law." 

"Like that will work." She turned her back towards him and walked out of the kitchen. 

Putting the spatula down, he followed Lee into the living room. He couldn't tell her now _why_ he wanted to leave Alberta right away. She will worry herself to death, but if he won't, _then_ she would demand a reason on _why_ they have to leave soon. 

"Look, I don't want you to worry but you gave me no choice." He stood behind her, slipping his hands in his pants pocket and heaved a big sigh. 

Slowly turning around to face him, Lee searched his face for answers, but Jarod masked his face from everything that might give away _what_ he doesn't want her to know. 

"Jarod..." 

"_They_ know where we are, Lee." 

Her sudden gasp told Jarod that he should have had at least a bit of _tact_ when he told her the news. 

"Fred told me that Lea had an unexpected visitor. Two male and one female. The female is a brunette while one of the two males is almost bald and the other one is almost the same age as Fred is." 

"Miss Parker is here in Alberta?" Lee felt like she was going to be sick. If Miss Parker found the two of them, who says nobody at The Center knew where they are? "But..._how?_ We've covered our tracks _perfectly_." 

"I know. But somehow they caught wind of _where_ we are, and now the Centre is _after_ us." 

"Broots, tell me you have _good news_ or I'll wring your pretty little neck!" Miss Parker said back in the Centre a week after their escapade in Canada turned sour. 

"W-well," Broots cleared his throat before saying, "I found s-_something_ that might interest you, Miss Parker." 

"Oh really?" She said sarcastically. 

"Y-yeah." Broots nodded. 

"Then spill it." 

"O-okay." Broots turned back to fiddle with his laptop and showed Miss Parker _what_ he found out about Jarod and Ameleeiah. 

"They were _legally_ married?" Miss Parker asked in disbelief. 

"Ready?" Jarod asked three days after he dropped the bomb to Lee that the Centre knew where they were. 

"As ever." Looking up at him, her eyes locked with his. "_Where_ are we heading now?" 

"Somewhere up north." 

"North? Where? The Yukon? Northwest Territories? Alaska? _Where?_" She asked, wanting to know this time _where_ they will exactly be going. 

Putting the 4x4 into gear, Jarod looked at her and answered, "Nunavut." 

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

**to be continued...**

**A/N:** This is a short chapter, I know. I tried adding some more to make it a bit longer, but I think leaving this chapter the way it is now is better. Just to let you know now, I am not sure _when_ I'll update this fic. I can't seem to find the third chapter that I knew I wrote back then. If I can't find it then I'll have to re-write a whole new chapter 3 for this fic.


	3. Happy Holidays

**Disclaimer:** **_The Pretender_** isn't mine so don't sue me. I only have claim to all the other characters (not to mention the plot) that you don't recognize.

**PhoenixRae's Notes:** I actually wrote this fic back in 2000 and since I didn't know that ff.net existed back then, I just kept it saved in a diskette that I just only recently came across once again. I did some editing to it, but please bear in mind that this fic supposedly took place right around Season 4 of the series. This wasn't a finished fic when I wrote it back in 2000, but I'll try my best to finish it this time around.

**Summary:** Two lost souls on the run from the very place that made their lives hell. Will The Center catch them? Unwanted feelings surfaced. Old feelings reopened. Will one be able to face the truth?

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

**III. ****Happy Holidays**

"I'm sorry, Jarod. We tried the best we could to stop them from ransacking your house, but..." 

Jarod patted Fred Feys's shoulders. He understood what his partner was trying to explain to him. Their house in Sherwood Park was foraged by the Centre people during the time that he and Lee were in Nunavut. 

"That's okay, Fred. I know you did the best you could to fend those people off." 

"But they just couldn't't come into your house and mess it like that!" Lea Feys exclaimed, still distraught about what happened. 

"Don't worry, Lea. At least Jarod and I _weren__'t_ there when it happened." Lee said, comforting the older woman. 

"I know, but with the holiday season coming..." Lea Feys sighed audibly before burying her face in her hands. "It's just not right!" 

Not knowing what else to say to Lea, Lee wrapped the elderly woman in her arms and started to pat her back, all the while her eyes locked with her Jarod's. 

He knew what she was thinking of right now. They _had_ to move again. The only reason why they came back was because Fred called him up, telling him something urgent came up and they were needed back in Alberta. That emergency Jarod's partner was talking about was, of course, their ransacked house. 

Miss Parker stormed angrily inside her father's office. Her arm's crossed and one eyebrow raised. She was angry at something, or rather, she was angry at _someone_ for ruining the capture of Ameleeiah and Jarod! 

"_Angel!_" Mr. Parker exclaimed upon seeing his daughter storm into his office. 

"Daddy, I can't believe what you did!" Miss Parker's entire body was shaking from her suppressed anger, her icy blue eyes shooting daggers at the elderly gentleman with a Hitler-like moustache and receding hairline. 

"Angel, now what–" 

"The capture of Jarod, Daddy. _Jarod!_" She didn't bother mentioning Ameleeiah because she doesn't want them to know that she was still in contact with Ameleeiah. As far as they were concerned, the only person in Canada was Jarod, and Jarod only! 

"Oh, Angel. Jarod _wasn__'t_ even there!" Mr. Parker exclaimed. 

"You lead us on, Parker." Mr. Lyle said from the corner. Up until that moment Miss Parker wasn't aware that her twin brother was in the room. 

Miss Parker turned to look at her twin, an eyebrow still raised. "I _didn__'t_ lead you on, Lyle. Broots, Sydney, and myself were just checking the place out. We just received a tip somewhere in Canada that they thought they saw someone who looked like Jarod so went." She explained. 

"But we found _nothing_ there, Parker. _Nothing!_" Mr. Lyle yelled. 

"You found _nothing_, Lyle, because that wasn't Jarod's lair!" She spun around to looked at her father, "It was a false alarm, Daddy." 

Sydney was pacing behind Broots when Miss Parker joined them in one of the simulation labs. The look on the woman's face was deadly that neither Sydney nor Broots decided to say anything, but Angelo didn't bother doing what the other two men did. 

"Miss Parker, troubled." 

"Shut up, mesh brain." Miss Parker snapped at the empath. 

Angelo wasn't repelled by Miss Parker's attitude. Instead, he continued to follow her, saying things–mostly nonsense–and annoying the hell out of the woman. 

"Angelo–" 

"Miss Parker _in love!_" The revelation surprised Miss Parker as much as the other three men in the room. "Yes, Miss Parker in love...Miss Parker in love..." Angelo kept on chanting, walking around the room. Then he stopped, he looked at Miss Parker and added, "But _he_ is not in love with Miss Parker..." 

"Sydney." 

Sydney stopped whatever he was doing the moment he heard Jarod's voice on the other line. "Jarod?" 

"Syd, I need your help." 

"Help? Help with what?" 

"About...about...Syd, I know we've had this conversation before, but..." Jarod was having a hard time _explaining_ to Sydney what he wanted to ask from him. 

"Jarod, you know you can tell me _everything_." Sydney encouraged. 

"I know that, Syd, but this one is different." 

"Oh? _How_ different?" Sydney prodded. 

"Different like I _shouldn__'t_ even be feeling this way about this girl! Living in close proximity with her–" 

"Are you talking about Ameleeiah here, Jarod?" Sydney cuts in. 

Silence. 

"Jarod?" 

"Yes." 

The silence was from the other line now. 

Oblivious to either Sydney or Jarod, the phone on Miss Parker's hand almost fell after Jarod's admission. Angelo was right... 

Arriving at their townhouse in Sherwood Park late one afternoon, Jarod couldn't almost recognise the place. It seems like his little wife did _a lot_ of decorating while he was at work. Leave it to Lee to _decorate_ the place whenever she was at home alone. 

"Lee, I'm–" 

"Hello, Mr. Feys." Greeted one of the teenagers he sees around the neighbourhood. 

Jarod stopped dead the moment he looked at their usually _clean_ living room. There were crepe paper everywhere, glues, scissors, sticks and other such things were scattered about. Looking around the disarrayed living room, Jarod couldn't find his wife amidst the crowded room. Catching one kid by the arm, he asked, "Have you seen Lee?" 

"Yes, Mr. Feys." The blond haired boy nodded, "Dr. Feys is in the kitchen with Carol and Mrs. Wright." 

"Thanks." He smiled at the boy then tiptoed all the way into the kitchen, finding his wife in the kitchen. 

Carol Wright was the first one to notice him standing there. 

"Hi, Mr. Feys!" The girl greeted cheerfully. 

Lee and Mrs. Wright stopped from pouring the batter on the pan and looked at Jarod standing by the doorway. 

"Why, hello there, Jarod." Agnes Wright smiled. 

"Agnes." He nodded, then his eyes met his wife's. "Lee." He smiled too. 

Lee smiled back then said, "I was asked to help the committee prepare for their annual Christmas program." 

"Oh." Jarod wasn't sure what kind of program the committee ran, but by the state of his usually uncluttered house, he could only guess. 

"Don't worry, Mr. Feys, all of us kids will clean up the mess. Sorry for it, by the way. Your house is the only place where there are _no babies_ around to mess things up so..." Carol didn't bother finishing what she was saying then picked up one of the pans and put it in the oven. 

"No worries." Jarod replied back, his eyes still fixed on his wife. 

Agnes took the cue from there and hustled her daughter outside the kitchen and left the couple alone. 

"If you need us, Leeiah, we'll just be in the living room." Agnes said, grabbing her daughter's arm. 

"But Mom–" 

The stern look Agnes Wright gave her daughter spoke volumes. The eighteen year old understood what her mother was doing and looked over her shoulder and said, "I get the picture." Then winked at the couple before her mother pulled her out of the kitchen. 

After the Wright's left them alone, Jarod and Lee exchanged looks then laughed. Crossing the room, Jarod stopped right in front of her and kissed her lightly on the cheek. 

"Just in case Agnes _or_ Carol is looking." He whispered against her ear. 

Lee did her best on not to blush, but she couldn't help it. _This_ was the first time Jarod did this kind of thing. Usually, before, whenever there were people around, he would just nod at her and smile that knowing smile of his at her but _never_ kiss her. 

"Oh." She looked down at their feet, avoiding anymore eye contacts with him. 

"Lee?" 

"Hm?" 

"_When_ is the Christmas Party?" He asked. 

"Hm?" She looked up at him then, but before she could open her mouth, Jarod's mouth covered hers. 

Jarod didn't know what came over him, but he knew from the moment he stepped in to the house and saw the mess, he knew he had to find Lee, and when he found her he felt this _urge_ to kiss her senseless! Thank God Agnes knew _how_ it was between newlywed couples. 

Lee's response came automatically. Her arms wrapped around her husband's neck, pulling him closer for a much better kiss. Her mouth opened automatically, welcoming his tongue's onslaught. 

She needed this. She needed _him_ for this. It has been a long time since she have been _properly_ kissed by a man, a man who _wants_ her and she wants him back. Living together for close to nine months now, Lee was _aware_ of the sparks flying between her and Jarod. She would only be lying to herself if she denied her _feelings_ for this man... 

Staring blankly at the contents of her glass, Miss Parker's mind was not where her body was. She was thinking about Jarod...about Ame...about her...about life in general. 

She was thinking about all those time wasted because of _her_. Yes, now she admitted _who_ was at fault. She have changed and pushed Jarod farther away from her. And now, her _half_-sister was the apple of Jarod's eyes. And how could Jarod not fall for Ameleeiah? She was everything _she_ wasn't! Ameleeiah's kindness and charm extended even to those who doesn't deserve it. 

Watching the woman through the slightly ajar office door of Miss Parker, Broots whispered to Sydney, "What is wrong with her?" 

Looking at the woman whose grit matches every men brave enough to face all obstacles, Sydney could only come up with _one_ conclusion to Miss Parker's withdrawal: Angelo was right. Miss Parker _was_ in love with Jarod who doesn't even love her back. 

"Syd?" 

"Leave her be, Broots." Sydney said, retreating from where he stood for almost an hour and a half now, watching the woman in the room stare into blank space. "Miss Parker has _a lot_ on her mind right now." 

"Ameleeiah?" Broots asked, following the older man's footsteps. 

"Yes." 

"And Jarod?" Broots was taking a long shot with his questioning, but the only time Miss Parker started to act this way was _after_ she listened to Sydney's and Jarod's phone conversation a week ago. 

Sydney stopped from walking and turned to look at Broots, "_Of course_ Miss Parker is thinking of Jarod–_and_ on how to capture him." 

"No, Syd. Miss Parker is _not_ thinking of Jarod in _that way_." Broots said. 

"Oh?" Sydney raised an eyebrow. 

"Yes, Syd." Broots nodded. "Look, I didn't tell you about this but...well, Miss Parker _sorta_ tapped in on your conversation with Jarod a week ago." 

"I see." Sydney answered calmly. Way too calmly as far as Broots was concerned. 

Broots merely made a face at the man. 

"Aren't you going to be mad because Miss Parker listened in on your _private_ conversation with Jarod?" Broots asked. 

Sydney turned to look at the man who has been their sidekick since they started this Hunt-for-Jarod program almost five years ago. 

"Broots, it _is_ quite obvious that Miss Parker will _have_ an interest with my conversation with Jarod. After all, Broots, Jarod _has_ Ameleeiah _and_ Miss Parker has a _certain_ design on Jarod herself." He explained before walking away. 

After the unexpected kiss they shared in the kitchen a week and a half ago, Lee made sure that her distance with Jarod was kept _farther_ away as possible. She wouldn't want _any_ of those unexpected feelings to resurface once again. Once was enough–she _doesn__'t_ need it to happen twice or maybe thrice! 

"Ready?" 

Lee jumped at the sound of Jarod's voice. She seemed to have been doing a lot of that lately. Turning slowly, she smiled at her husband before nodding. 

"It is cold outside, Lee, you should take something to keep you warm." He advised her. 

Obediently, Lee snatched her winter jacket from the hallway closet before following Jarod outside. They were on their way to the community hall where the Christmas Party was to be held. 

The wind was chilly, but at least it stopped snowing. It has been snowing non-stop for days now. Lee thought that the Christmas party will be cancelled, but to her surprise, blizzard or _no_ blizzard, the Christmas party will be held! 

"Watch your step," Jarod warned her when she almost stepped, without watching where she was going, onto an icy part of their walkway. He reached for her and grabbed her by her upper arm, steadying her and guiding her towards the snow-covered part of the walkway. 

"T-thanks." She stammered, her gaze avoiding his at every way possible. God this was torture. How could she go on _pretending_ to live as husband and wife with this man who, for the past few months now, had been visiting her in her dreams, making her yearn for something she knew she mustn't. 

After this farce of a marriage of theirs was over, she and Jarod would part ways. She'd be lucky if their paths ever crossed once again. She needed her heart safely intact. She couldn't afford losing it to this man who possessed everything she wanted in a man. 

"Broots, are you _sure_ this time?" Miss Parker asked impatiently while the trio entered the community hall. 

"Yeah." Broots nodded, searching the crowd for Jarod _or_ Ameleeiah. 

"Parker, are you _sure_ you would want to do this? After all, it _is_ Christmas Eve." Sydney whispered to the woman whose blue eyes were directed right in the middle of the hall. Sydney followed her gaze and found Jarod and Ameleeiah being pushed right into each other's arms by the rest of the congregation, chanting "Dance! Dance! Dance!" 

"Jarod..." Sydney whispered. 

"Ame..." Miss Parker gasped. 

"C'mon, Doc!" Cajoled one of the elderly men present, "Show us that you two still have the right stuff!" 

Lee frowned at the elderly man before shouting over her husband's broad shoulder, "Hey, we're not yet _that old_, Henry!" 

The elderly man just laughed before dragging his wife of so many years on the dance floor to join the young couple. 

Jarod and Lee were enjoying themselves immensely, dancing to the beat of each tempo and exchanging light banters with the other people present in the crowd. The couple were oblivious of the three pairs of eyes watching them. They were too engrossed dancing and having fun that neither one realized they danced themselves right under the mistletoe! The music stopped then, after one of the elderly ladies told the band to stop so that the couple would be right under the mistletoe. 

Frowning, Lee looked around them at the expectant look their neighbours were giving them. Looking back at Jarod, she asked, "_What_ is going on?" 

Not knowing what as going on as well, Jarod took a moment to look around them. Some of the teenagers present were talking about something, pointing something over the couple's head. Following Carol Wright's finger, Jarod looked up, only to find a big mistletoe dangling right over their heads. A smile broke on his face before looking back down at his wife. 

"Well, my dear, I _think_ that our loving _elderly_ neighbours have orchestrated _something_ that neither of us expected." He said cryptically. 

Lee frowned then looked up above their heads. Her barely audible surprised gasp made Jarod chuckle. Her sudden stiffening in his arms told him that Lee _doesn__'t_ like what _should_ happen next. 

"Jarod..." She hissed, slowly dragging her gaze back to look at him. "We _can__'t_ do this." 

Jarod raised an eyebrow, "And _why_ can't we?" 

"Because–" The rest of what she had to say was left unsaid for Jarod's mouth seized her before she could utter a protest. 

The crowd hooted and cheered as the couple continued kissing. Broots, Sydney and Miss Parker stood where they are in shock. Miss Parker's anger fused as she saw the way Jarod _caressingly_ held on to _her_ half-sister! 

"Hey Doc!" Yelled one of the youngsters present to witness this public show of affection, "You and Mr. Feys here looks like you've just fallen in love for the first time!" 

Pulling away from Jarod, Lee stared wide-eyed at her husband before uttering, "Yes, we _did_ fall in love for the first time..." Then realizing what she just said, she quickly added, "_Again._" 

The crowd hooted once again, and Lee added, "Jarod proposed to me under a mistletoe." 

Jarod looked pleased at her explanation and leaned forward to steal another kiss from her, to the delight of their audience. 

Miss Parker, on the other hand, couldn't take what she just heard and quickly dashed out of the hall, with Sydney and Broots running after her. 

"Parker!" Sydney called after Miss Parker, but she didn't listen to him. Instead she continued running towards their rented car and _cried_ in there. 

The two men followed Miss Parker inside the car with Sydney taking the passenger's seat this time. After a few seconds that lapsed, Sydney asked, "Shall we go back to Blue Cove now?" 

"No." Miss Parker answered, "We are _not_ going back to the Centre just yet." She announced. 

"W-we're not?" Broots asked. 

"No, we're not." 

"But _why_?" It was Sydney who asked this time. 

Turning, Miss Parker's blue eyes was streaked with tears. "Sydney, I _have_ to get Ameleeiah back." She announced. 

Sydney eyed her curiously before asking, "_This_ does not have _anything_ to do with what happened between Ameleeiah and Jarod back in there, is it?" 

Miss Parker was silent for a while. Broots couldn't understand what was going on. Sydney, on the other hand, understood _perfectly_. So the Ice Queen has a heart after all–and for _Jarod_ for that matter! 

Giggling and rather a bit tipsy, both Lee and Jarod couldn't stop from laughing that they both fell on the sofa at the same time. It was already past three in the morning by the time the couple decided to go back home. Their neighbours were still partying at the community hall. 

"Gee, I didn't know you can dance." Lee said, peering over Jarod's shoulder before bursting into another set of uncontrollable laughter. 

Jarod laughed with her while semi-sprawled on top of Lee. They both had a little too much to drink, but they were sober enough to still be able to drive home. Somehow being a bit drunk made them _ignore_ the cold weather outside. 

"Well, I didn't know that _you_ know how to dance as well!" He chuckled, "I mean, your moves and such–_man!_" He hooted, arranging her a bit so that both of them would be comfortable, "I swear I could bet my bottom dollar that _you_ don't know fig about dancing!" 

Lee only laughed. Silence fell afterwards. The only sound that could be heard was the ticking of the clock as well as their heavy breathing. There was a full moon outside, shining inside their window, basking the two of them in a glow. 

Drumming her fingers on Jarod's arm, Lee moved her head a bit to look at her husband. Smiling, she said, "Merry Christmas, Jarod." 

Jarod looked at her too and smiled. "Merry Christmas, Lee." He said before leaning down and capturing her mouth. 

This time their kiss lasted for a while. Both were clinging to one another. The next turn of events seemed to happen in a blur, but for Jarod and Lee, it didn't happen like that. Clinging on to one another before reaching their final climax, Jarod took her mouth once more before exploding inside of her. Their personal feelings for each other were left unsaid–afraid of the inevitable. They both knew that _this_ will never last. 

This relationship of theirs wasn't meant to last. 

Outside in the cold, the black Town Car was parked just outside the couple's front window. Shadows of the couple making love in the living room was visible via the faint light of one of their house lights, making Miss Parker's heart break into pieces. 

"Let's go, Parker." Sydney cajoled. 

Miss Parker shrugged Sydney's hand off her elbow. "We're _not_ leaving, Syd." She said firmly. 

Sighing, Sydney said, "Look, Parker, no matter _what_ you do, Jarod _and_ Ameleeiah _are_ married! It's only _natural_ for a married couple to do–" 

Turning a pair of piercing blue eyes at him, Miss Parker said, "Jarod _and_ Ame are _not_ married, Syd!" 

"But Parker–" 

Miss Parker cut him off again, "They just _can__'t_ be married. They can't. They can't!" The tears she managed to stop from falling after what she saw inside the community hall started to fall once again. "Sydney, Ame _can__'t_ be married to Jarod. She _can__'t_ be." She sobbed. 

Gathering the crying woman, whose known to everyone as the Ice Queen, Sydney did what he knew best–he patted her back softly while whispering words of encouragement to her. At the back, Broots watched as the woman who sent shivers down his spine broke down and cried. 

"Jarod?" Lee asked, propped against her lover's chest. 

"Hm?" Jarod responded absently, running his hand up and down the back of her head. 

"Jarod, _what_ will happen now?" 

Jarod was silent for a while. Yes, _what_ will happen now? After last night, and the things that followed after that, things would _never_ be the same again. 

"Jarod?" Lee cajoled. 

Taking a deep breath, Jarod replied, "To be quite honest, Lee, I am not sure." Looking down at her, he nudged her to meet his eyes, "It's all up to _you_ Lee." 

"Jarod–" 

Jarod cut her off, "I won't lie to you and say that what happened last night wasn't a mistake. I won't be sorry _nor_ I would regret it. Last night was _special_. What happened between you and me was something that _I__'ve_ always wanted to happen–from the first time I saw you." He confessed. 

What happened next was something Jarod wasn't expecting. Lee moved off his chest and leaned against him, planting a wet one on his mouth. The next thing he knew, they were both back tumbling between the sheets, giggling and laughing. _Satisfying_ one another. All thoughts of uncertainty and such were gone. 

Now, Jarod and Lee could certainly assure that this marriage of theirs was _already_ a real one, compared to what they were a few months ago. 

Back at the Centre, Miss Parker's mood doesn't seem to change–not even a bit. After her confession to Sydney about her true feelings for Jarod on Christmas Eve, she became a changed woman. The Ice Queen was back, and much _colder_ than she was before. 

Broots and Sydney made sure to stay out of her way these days, listening to her whenever she beckoned, and _never_ argued with her over something. 

The subject of recapturing Jarod and bringing back Ameleeiah was dropped. Neither one of the three talked about it nor did they bring up the subject of their escapade in Alberta with anyone at the Centre. 

Meanwhile, Mr. Raines, Mr. Lyle, and Mr. Parker were all curious about Miss Parker's behaviour. She was _rarely_ seen in and around the Centre these days. Sydney and Broots weren't saying _anything_ about Miss Parker's odd behaviour. When Mr. Parker visited his daughter at the cottage, he found her sloshed, with a still half-empty bottle of whiskey in her hand. 

"Angel, what's wrong?" Asked Mr. Parker with great concern covering his face. 

His daughter merely looked at him before turning her back towards him. Mr. Parker followed his distraught daughter across the room. Miss Parker sat down on one of her sofas and opened the bottle of whiskey once more. Drinking it through the bottle, Mr. Parker was _extremely_ worried about his daughter's behaviour. 

"Angel–" 

"Leave me alone, daddy." Miss Parker said, raising her hand to fend her father off, "I don't need _anybody_ to fuss over me. I'm a big girl now, and I _know_ what I'm doing!" 

"Drinking yourself to death is what you're doing!" Her twin brother, Lyle, said. 

"Lyle, _what_ are you doing here?" Mr. Parker scolded. 

Looking to meet his father's eyes, Mr. Lyle merely shrugged. "I came here for support, dad." 

"Look, _both_ of you, leave me the hell alone!" Miss Parker yelled, leaving the sofa where she was currently sitting. "_Neither_ one of you would be able to help me, so get the hell out of my house!" 

"But Angel–" 

"Daddy, I don't want to be rude but you're driving me to the point where I could get violent!" Miss Parker warned through gritted teeth. 

"Look, Parker, that's not the way–" 

"Shut up, Lyle!" Scolded his angry and sloshed sister. "Look, I will say it again and this time I _mean_ it! Leave me the hell alone! I don't want your pity nor your fake concern for me! Neither one of your cares whether I drive myself to destruction or not." 

"Angel, I'm hurt." Mr. Parker said. 

Miss Parker raised an eyebrow at him, "Oh yeah? Well _now_ we're both hurting. So there you go." She said before turning her back to her father and brother. "Lock the door after you leave and I want you to leave _now!_" She demanded before walking away. 

Once Miss Parker was out of earshot, Mr. Parker turned to his son, "_Something_ is not right, son." 

"You tell me." Snorted Mr. Lyle. "Do you think it has something to do with Jarod and the girl?" He inquired. 

"Could be. But _why_ would she drive herself drunk?" Mr. Parker asked, not sure as to _how_ to put things together with his daughter and her sudden _odd_ behaviour. 

"Sydney." 

"Syd." 

It was Jarod. A smile broke on the old man's face. 

"Jarod...it's _always_ nice to hear from you." 

"Likewise." Jarod replied with a different tone in his voice. Sydney could only guess that this sudden change in Jarod's attitude was because of what happened between him and Ameleeiah on Christmas Eve. 

"How's the girl, Jarod? How is Ameleeiah?" Sydney asked, wanting to know more about Miss Parker's half sister. 

"Lee and I are fine, Syd." Jarod replied before adding, "Sydney, I–we...Lee and I–" 

"Slept together?" Sydney inquired. 

"Y-yes." 

"Jarod–" 

"Syd, I'm _scared_. I've never been this scared before in my life!" Jarod confessed. 

"But Jarod, Ameleeiah is just a girl!" 

"I know! I know that, Syd, but these feelings..." Jarod lets out a frustrated sigh, "I don't know _what_ this could mean. I'm afraid of getting _too close_ to her and then...and then..." Jarod didn't finish, and Sydney knew what his former ward was trying to say. 

"Jarod, are you _in love_ with Ameleeiah?" 

"Yes." 

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

**to be continued...**

**A/N:** I guess I'm in luck. I just found the copies of this chapter and the next chapter. I dunno if chapter 4's already finished, but if it ain't...well, I'm gonna do my best to finish it and have up loaded ASAP.


	4. Happy Mother's Day

**Disclaimer:** **_The Pretender_** isn't mine so don't sue me. I only have claim to all the other characters (not to mention the plot) that you don't recognize.

**PhoenixRae's Notes:** I actually wrote this fic back in 2000 and since I didn't know that ff.net existed back then, I just kept it saved in a diskette that I just only recently came across once again. I did some editing to it, but please bear in mind that this fic supposedly took place right around Season 4 of the series. This wasn't a finished fic when I wrote it back in 2000, but I'll try my best to finish it this time around.

**Summary:** Two lost souls on the run from the very place that made their lives hell. Will The Center catch them? Unwanted feelings surfaced. Old feelings reopened. Will one be able to face the truth?

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

**IV. ****Happy Mother's Day**

Five months after Lee and Jarod first made love, Lee was starting to feel something has changed in her body. Having the doctor in her, she ran some tests to be certain if what she was thinking was true or not. After three days, Lee braced herself for the possibility of her test; it turned out to be positive. 

_ She is pregnant!_

Half overjoyed and half scared, Lee thought it over and over. Should she tell Jarod or shouldn't she? God, this was a tough decision! Jarod has every right to know, but she _can__'t_ burden him with that problem. Becoming pregnant wasn't part of their plan. Heck, getting _physically_ involved with each other wasn't part of their plan either! 

"Lee? Lee, I'm home!" Jarod called out after their front door slammed shut. "Lee?" His footsteps were heard running up the stairs. 

Hiding all evidence of her findings, Lee straightened herself and met her husband halfway down the stairs. 

"_Jarod!_" She exclaimed almost breathlessly, wrapping her arms around his neck then kissed him. 

Jarod grinned then kissed her back, coaxing her mouth to open so that his tongue could delve inside her mouth. He has been thinking about doing this to her all day. Since that magical night four months ago, his marriage to Lee suddenly takes a different course–a course towards living a _real_ married life. 

Breaking the kiss, Lee smiled then looked at her husband straight in the eye. "How was your day?" 

Jarod raised an eyebrow, "Fine, if you call it that." 

"Really?" 

"Yeah. I spent the whole day in court, Lee." Sighing, he continued, "I _wish_ I could do something else. Not that I'm not enjoying _being_ a lawyer, but whenever I hear some of the cases of my colleagues..." Jarod shook his dark head, "_They_ need help, Lee." 

Understanding her husband's predicament, Lee offered him her arms and gave him a hug. 

"You know, you _can_ still pretend to be someone else, Jarod." 

"I know, but I can't." He pulled away from her embrace, "You know _what_ happened the last time I did that." 

Lee remembered. The Centre caught wind of it and made their lives miserable once more. Thank goodness they received a warning to get out of the province while they still could. 

"Yeah. It's tough." She agreed. 

"Parker, are you alright?" Sydney asked when he got a hold of Miss Parker on the phone. The woman has been incommunicable for a month now. 

"What do you want now, Syd?" The woman asked acidly, gulping the last contents of her glass. 

"Are you drinking again?" Sydney asked with greater concern. The woman have become like a daughter to him since the death of her mother. 

"What is it to you?" 

"Parker–" 

"Look, Syd, I don't have the time _or_ the patience to have this chit-chat of ours. So, if you have something _important_ to say, say it!" 

"Alright, if that's what you want." Sydney didn't want to rile the young woman any further. He needed her to get back to her old self and fast. "I have _nothing_ concerning our 'friends' up north as of now, _but_ Broots and I _discovered_ some more information concerning your sister's foster parents." 

"What?" 

"If you would care to come into work today _or_ tomorrow, I'll be willing to tell you about it." 

"And what if I don't?" She sounded just like a spoilt brat with that retort. Miss Parker might not have an idea that was what she sounded like, but Sydney sure did and he smiled to himself. 

"This information Broots and I uncovered is highly classified, Parker. It _can__'t_ be discussed over the phone." 

Miss Parker raised an eyebrow. "_This_ better be good, Syd." 

"So, have you told Mr. Feys yet?" 

Lee was surprised to hear to hear Carol's question. Looking at the nineteen year old girl, she couldn't help asking, "How did you know?" 

Carol smiled. "Instinct, Doc." 

Lee raised an eyebrow. Carol threw her head backwards and laughed. 

"I don't believe you." 

"You don't? Oh, come now, Doc. _I_ know when a woman is pregnant _since_ I know _what_ a pregnant woman looks like. I'm studying to become an OB, remember? So _I_ should know what a pregnant woman looks like at three months along," she then paused and looked at her friend, "You _are_ three months along, aren't you?" Carol asked, not sure if her hunch was true or not. 

"Oh...well, I–I _haven__'t_ told Jarod yet." Lee replied back before turning back to her paperwork in her office. "And–and no, I'm not three months pregnant, Carol." She looked back up to meet her eyes, "I'm five months along and _no sign_ of morning sickness." She informed the girl with a smile before turning her attention back on her work. 

"Why haven't you?" Carol frowned, "I mean, Mr. Feys would _love_ to hear that. And you're not three months along? That's impossible! I mean, you don't look like you are five months pregnant." 

Lee just smiled at her. 

"Doc..._Leeiah_," Carol sat down in front of Lee, waiting for the other woman to look up from her paperwork. "Mr. Feys _loves_ you so much. If you make such a big deal about it, _he_ will give you the time of day to sit down and listen to your good news." 

Lee couldn't believe she was sitting here listening to a nineteen year old give her advice. A nineteen year old, for crying out loud! And she was only twenty-three. "Carol–" 

"Mr. Feys _loves_ you so much, Doc. And I'm sure _he_ will love this child you're carrying. _Tell_ him." The girl encouraged before stepping out of Lee's office. 

Lee gave Carol's advice some further thought. Of course Jarod had every right to know she was carrying their baby. He'd be thrilled too. But letting him know and making _their_ marriage as real as it could get would only complicate their lives further. They both couldn't run away now at a drop of a hat from the Center once they knew they were back at their old lair. 

Oh crap, this whole plan of theirs was rapidly spinning way out of control. They shouldn't have gotten involved in the first place! Damn stupid hormones. She should know better than to _sleep_ with him. And she could hardly blame the alcohol for making her do what she did with Jarod Christmas Eve. 

But she _had_ to tell Jarod. He had the right to know they were going to have a baby. 

That night, Lee paced their living room restlessly. She was about to make a hole on their carpeted floor when Jarod came into the house. 

"Hey." She greeted, walking towards him then planting a kiss on his mouth. 

"Hey." Jarod growled back, deepening the kiss. 

As soon as Jarod deepened the kiss, Lee forgot what she was about to say to him. 

Miss Parker could not believe what Sydney and Broots just told her. 

"_Impossible!_" She exclaimed, not believing the news. 

"It's the truth, Parker." Sydney said. 

Looking at the old man who has become more like a father to her than a colleague, Miss Parker's blue eyes were as wide as the full moon outside that evening. 

"But...but...but it _can__'t_ be!" 

"_Yes,_ Parker. Ameleeiah's foster parents _were_ Raines's relatives!" Exclaimed Sydney. 

"And yet _he_ let his sweeper team to _annihilate_ them?" Miss Parker asked unbelievingly. 

"Yes." Sydney nodded. 

"Oh my God..." 

"And–and that's not all, Miss Parker." Broots interjects. 

Raising an eyebrow, Miss Parker turned her gaze to him, "Is there something _more_ that you wanted me to know aside from the fact that Raines is a heartless beast who _kills_ his family?" 

"Y-yes, there is." 

Miss Parker rolled her eyes heavenwards before saying, "Alright, _spill it._" 

Taking a deep breath, Broots says, "Ameleeiah's _biological_ mother is none other than Mr. Raines's sister-in-law!" 

Later in bed that night, Lee was trying to position herself so that Jarod wouldn't't notice the slight bulge of her belly. At five months pregnant, her stomach was still small enough to be left unnoticed, but Jarod _did_ point out that she suddenly had a bit of a bulge on her belly when they were making love. 

"What are you doing?" Jarod asked when she tried to reposition herself against him for the fifth time. 

Looking at him sheepishly, Lee smiled. 

"Just getting comfy, Jarod. No need to worry." She answered back. 

"Oh." Jarod seemed to accept that excuse. Lee let out a silent sigh of relief. 

Silence. 

"Lee?" 

"Hm?" 

"Nothing." He shook his head. 

"What? C'mon, you can tell me." She coaxed. 

"Nothing. Just–just forget it." 

"Jarod, you got me all worked up now. Look, _what_ is it that you wanna tell _or_ ask me?" 

Looking down at her, Jarod couldn't't decide on whether to ask her to stay married to him or not. After all that has been happening to them since Christmas Eve, Jarod couldn't even bring himself to think that after this, the two of them would ask for an annulment–or divorce–and go on their separate ways once the Centre cools off chasing after them. 

"Jarod–" 

"Lee, _what_ would you do if I ask you to _stay_ married to me?" The question just suddenly slipped out his mouth without him expecting it. Jarod wanted to take it back, but it was already too late to do that. 

"But Jarod, we _aren__'t_–" 

"Yes, we _are_ married, Lee." Jarod cuts her off. 

"I beg your pardon?" 

Turning so they are facing each other, Jarod cupped her right cheek and nudged her to meet his eyes, "Lee, we _did_ get married–for real. It's well documented and we are signed _under_ the name of Feys." 

"But–" 

"All the papers were authentic. I didn't tell you before because...because I thought that we could get an annulment shortly afterwards, but now..." Jarod sighed, not sure _how_ he could drop the news to her. He loves her. He loves her so much that he can't bear to think of _being_ away from her, not even for a moment. 

"Oh Jarod..." Lee sighed before wrapping her arms around him and kissing him deeply. "I _do_ want to stay married to you!". 

And that was all that Jarod needed to hear before taking her once more. 

"You two-faced, lying son of a bitch." Miss Parker growled angrily at Mr. Raines the moment she found him alone in his office. "_You_ are a heartless bastard who would sell his soul to the devil when the need arises!" She yelled at him. 

"Miss Parker, you have no right–" 

"No right?" She cut him off, her blue eyes wide and spewing fire. "No _right!_ Ha, what a laugh, Raines." Miss Parker snorted, walking across the dimly lit office room to face the man who only came right up to her chin, "_You_ killed your sister-in-law, _my_ sister's mother. And then _you_ killed your own flesh and blood as well just to take your guinea pig!" 

"My what?" Mr. Raines looked aghast. "I never–" 

"_Ameleeiah Johnston_, Raines. Ameleeiah! My father's bastard! The girl _I_ rescued from your clutches five years ago. The _same_ girl you wanted to do your testing _again_ soon after you found out that she is not at all brain-dead, but rather a _very gifted_ one." 

Mr. Raines looked composed at her announcement. "So you found out, huh?" 

Miss Parker raised an eyebrow. Her hands clenched into tight fists, but she controlled herself before she swung at this man whose mere sight made her sick. Crossing her arms over her chest, she taunted, "_Don't_ underestimate me, Raines." She warned. 

"And so I know." 

"Damn _you_, Raines!" Miss Parker hissed before walking out of the old man's room. 

"What?" Miss Parker's abrupt greeting made Lee's spine stiffen. 

"M-Miss Parker?" 

After hearing the girl's voice on the other end of the line, Miss Parker was caught between emotions she was feeling towards her half-sister right now. Will she be mad at her because she _stole_ Jarod from her? Or would she be nice and polite with her like before? 

"Ame?" 

"Yes, Miss Parker." 

"Ame, _how_ are you?" 

"I'm–I'm fine, Parker. But...but there's _something_ I have to tell you, and I _trust_ you with this information." 

The girl sounded hesitant. _What_ could be wrong? _What_ was it that was giving her a hard time tell her that _she_ was with Jarod? 

"What is it?" 

"I–I met a man, Parker and–and these feelings...I-I know I shouldn't be feeling this way towards him, but it's hard not to." 

Miss Parker closed her eyes. She couldn't stand _hearing_ her half-sister pour her heart out to her towards her feelings towards the man the two of them are have feelings for. 

"_What_ sort of feelings, Ame?" Miss Parker braved to tread these waters. Her sister needed her as a friend, not as an enemy. Ameleeiah wouldn't have called her if she had somewhere else to go or someone else to turn to.

"I–I don't really know _or_ understand what these feelings are, but I know I _won__'t_ be able to stay away from him." 

"Do you–do _you_ love him, Ameleeiah?" Miss Parker needed to know. She needed to know _what_ Ameleeiah's feelings towards Jarod was. 

There was a long pause on the other line. 

"Yes. Yes, I _love_ Jarod, Miss Parker." Ameleeiah admitted. 

Miss Parker's heart plummeted to the ground. So the truth was _finally_ out. 

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

**to be continued...**

**A/N:** _Phew!_ OK, now that I have _this_ fourth chapter out, I think I'm gonna take a rest. *lol* Actually, I remember having to stop writing this fic here because I ran out of ideas for the next chapter. I started it, but since school and work got in the way, I forgot all about it. Pleaes be patient and I'll do my best to get the 5th chapter out as soon as I can. As always, feedbacks are appreciated.


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